Free Guy film stars urge ‘great guys’ to give blood as NHS teams up with Twentieth Century Studios to promote donation

Hollywood A-Listers Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer are calling on film fans in England to be great guys by registering to give blood.

The Free Guy stars feature in an NHS Blood and Transplant video encouraging people to register to give blood because ‘there’s a little hero inside all of us’ – an overarching theme of the adventure-comedy releasing on August 13.

Free Guy tells the story of Guy, a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background character in an open-world video game. He decides to become the hero of his own story…one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way.

In the light-hearted NHS video, which features clips from the movie, Ryan and Jodie discuss how giving blood ties in with the film’s message.

Ryan likens blood donors to Guy who ‘always gives 100 percent’ and urges people to download a digital Free Guy badge from NHS Blood Donation - which can be used by movie fans to promote their great guy act of blood donation on social media - while Jodie explains that every donation can save up to three lives.

The video – which closes with the message ‘your NHS needs great guys’ – can be viewed at www.blood.co.uk/freeguy. It will be shared on NHS Blood and Transplant digital and social channels together with a link to the digital badge to encourage new and existing donors who are movie fans to donate and be a great guy. The content will also be shared on the Twentieth Century Studios’ social channels.

NHS Blood and Transplant hopes that the partnership with Twentieth Century Studios will reach people who may not have considered blood donation, particularly young people and men, who are especially needed.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “Giving blood is a lifesaving act and I’m grateful to the stars of Free Guy for helping to share that message.

“There is a real shortage of male and young people giving blood so we particularly need hero donors from those groups to help us save more lives.

“It’s quick, easy and safe and I’d encourage everyone who is able to consider registering to donate today.”

Zeeshan Asghar, National Partnerships Manager for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Just like Guy, blood donors choose to make a difference. They are everyday people who do something amazing - they save and improve lives by giving blood.

“The film’s themes of self-empowerment, being great and doing something good for others echo the motivations and rewards that our donors tell us about. We hope this exciting partnership with Twentieth Century Studios will inspire film fans and new audiences to be great guys by registering to donate.

“We’re delighted to have the support of Ryan and Jodie with their entertaining and engaging video about the lifesaving power of blood donation, which will help us to reach the people we need to become the donors of the future.

“The NHS needs 400 new donors every day to maintain the blood supply. We especially need more young people, black people and men to become donors. Please register today and book an appointment to start saving lives - your NHS needs great guys.”

It is important that young people continuously register as donors because as people get older they are less likely to be able to donate. Men are particularly important donors, as they make up most long-term blood donors. They are more likely to have lots of iron, so can donate more regularly than women. Men’s blood can also be more easily used for platelets, which are used to treat people in emergencies when they are bleeding a lot.

Blood is needed to treat patients with cancer, blood disorders and those suffering medical trauma or undergoing surgery. Each donation can save or improve up to three lives.

Demand for blood is now rising as hospitals catch up on postponed treatments, and new and existing donors are being urged to make and keep an appointment over the summer to help ensure patients continue to get the lifesaving blood they need as life and the NHS returns to normal. To help meet this demand extra appointments have been added in key areas.

NHS Blood and Transplant has implemented landmark new individualised eligibility criteria for blood donation which allows many more people to donate while keeping blood just as safe. Anyone who has had the same sexual partner for the last three months is now eligible to donate providing other eligibility criteria are met. In particular, this change will enable more people from the LGBT+ community to donate.

Become a blood donor. Register today and book and appointment. You can also register by downloading the GiveBloodNHS app or by calling 0300 123 23 23.

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Free Guy movie promotional banner - in cinemas August 13

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About NHS Blood and Transplant

NHS Blood and Transplant is a joint England and Wales Special Health Authority. We provide the blood donation service for England and the organ donation service for the UK. We also provide donated tissues, stem cells and cord blood. We are an essential part of the NHS, saving and improving lives through public donation.
It is quick and easy to book an appointment to give blood. Call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk
NHSBT has 23 permanent donor centres in London (Tooting, Edgware, West End) Manchester (Plymouth Grove and Norfolk House), Cambridge, Luton, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leicester, Bradford, Leeds, Newcastle, Lancaster, Liverpool, Stoke, Birmingham, Bristol, Gloucester, Oxford, Southampton, Poole and Plymouth. Our mobile teams also collect blood at community venues such as church halls around the country.
NHS Blood and Transplant needs to collect 1.4 million units of blood each year to meet the needs of patients across England.
There are four main blood groups – O, A, B and AB. O negative (the universal blood group) and B negative are particularly vulnerable to shortfalls. So, we want people with those blood groups to donate as regularly as they can.
The overall demand for blood is falling by 3-4% per year due to improvements in clinical practice and our work with hospitals to ensure blood is used appropriately for patients.
We need 135,000 new blood donors each year to replace those who stop donating and to ensure we have the right mix of blood groups to match patient needs in the future
We urgently need more black donors as they are more likely to have the blood type needed to treat the increasing number of patients suffering from sickle cell disease.
There is an urgent need for donors with Ro blood. Only 2% of our donors have Ro type blood. Collecting enough is a constant challenge. Ro is often used to save people with the rare blood disorder, sickle cell disease. Ro blood is ten times more common in black people than in white people.
You can donate plasma for medicines at donor centres in Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bristol, Chelmsford, Coventry, Croydon, Manchester, Reading, Stockton, Stratford, Tottenham, Twickenham and Wolverhampton. Plasma-based medicines are used to treat rare immune diseases. Potential plasma donors should call 0300 123 23 23.

About Free Guy

In Twentieth Century Studios’ epic adventure-comedy “Free Guy,” a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, decides to become the hero of his own story…one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way…before it is too late. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Taika Waititi, “Free Guy” is directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn and a story by Lieberman. The film is produced by Ryan Reynolds, p.g.a., Shawn Levy, p.g.a., Sarah Schechter, Greg Berlanti and Adam Kolbrenner with Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, George Dewey, Dan Levine and Michael Riley McGrath serving as executive producers.

The Walt Disney Company UK’s Social Responsibility

At Twentieth Century Studios, part of The Walt Disney Company, acting responsibly and doing the right thing for families is an integral part of our brand purpose. This includes investing in the health and well-being of people and the planet. In addition to our existing commitments to charities through our ongoing Social Purpose programme, The Walt Disney Company EMEA contributed over $7 million worth of products, services and funds in 2020 that benefitted communities all across Europe in response to the pandemic crisis. This includes working with governments and healthcare experts to deliver important messaging across our channels and media platforms. Our partnership with Free Guy and NHSBT is another example of our continued efforts in this space, leveraging our storytelling to help make a difference. As the effects of the global pandemic continue to impact communities across the globe, Disney will continue to keep using its storytelling to inspire people to take action and raise funds. For more information on our programmes and our long-standing charitable partners please visit www.thewaltdisneycompany.eu